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Mac Studio (M2 Max, 2023) vs Mac Studio (M1 Ultra, 2022)

Mac Studio (M2 Max, 2023)1Mac Studio (M1 Ultra, 2022)2

Quick look

Quick look: Mac Studio M2 Max against Mac Studio M1 Ultra
FigureMac Studio M2 Max1Mac Studio M1 Ultra2
Price£2,0993launch price£3,9994launch price
ChipM2 MaxchipM1 Ultrachip
CPU12-coreCPU20-coreCPU
GPU30-coreGPU48-coreGPU
Memory32GBunified memory, base64GBunified memory, base
Storage512GBstorage, base1TBstorage, base
Released13 June 20233ReleasedIn Apple Stores; orderable online from 5 June 2023.18 March 20225ReleasedIn select Apple Stores; orderable online from 8 March 2022.
Security updatesNot available6Security updatesNot available7Security updates
Price
The Mac Studio M2 Max is £2,099 at launch, per Apple Newsroom (UK); the Mac Studio M1 Ultra is £3,999 at launch, per Apple UK Store (archived 8 March 2022).

True to scale

Mac Studio (M2 Max, 2023) · 197 × 95 mm frontMac Studio (M1 Ultra, 2022) · 197 × 95 mm front

Front faces, from Apple’s published dimensions, drawn to one scale and superposed. Corner rounding is our drawing convention, not a measurement.

Specifications

Each figure is from the source marked by its Mac’s name unless it carries its own small number, which links to where that figure was read.

Body

Body: Apple Mac Studio (M2 Max, 2023) against Apple Mac Studio (M1 Ultra, 2022)
SpecificationMac Studio M2 Max1Mac Studio M1 Ultra2
Dimensions95 x 197 x 197 mm95 x 197 x 197 mm
Weight2.7 kg3.6 kg
ColoursSilverSilver
PortsFour Thunderbolt 4 ports, two USB-A ports (up to 5Gb/s), HDMI port, 10Gb Ethernet, 3.5mm headphone jack; on front (M2 Max): two USB-C ports (up to 10Gb/s), SDXC card slot (UHS-II)Four Thunderbolt 4 ports, two USB-A ports (up to 5Gb/s), HDMI port, 10Gb Ethernet, 3.5mm headphone jack; on front (M1 Ultra): two Thunderbolt 4 ports (up to 40Gb/s), SDXC card slot (UHS‑II)
Thunderbolt ports46
Thunderbolt versionThunderbolt 4Thunderbolt 4
USB-A ports22
HDMIHDMI portHDMI port
SD card slotYesYes
Headphone jackYesYes

Chip and memory

Chip and memory: Apple Mac Studio (M2 Max, 2023) against Apple Mac Studio (M1 Ultra, 2022)
SpecificationMac Studio M2 Max1Mac Studio M1 Ultra2
ChipApple M2 Max chipApple M1 Ultra chip
Apple siliconYesYes
CPU cores1220
Performance cores816
Efficiency cores44
GPU cores3048
Neural Engine cores1632
Chip optionsM2 Max with 12-core CPU and 30-core GPU, or M2 Max with 12-core CPU and 38-core GPU8M1 Ultra with 20-core CPU and 48-core GPU, or M1 Ultra with 20-core CPU and 64-core GPU
Memory (base)32GB64GB
Memory (maximum)96GB8128GB
Memory options32GB, 64GB or 96GB (96GB with 38-core GPU)864GB or 128GB
Memory bandwidth400 GB/s800 GB/s
Storage (base)512GB1TB
Storage (maximum)8TB88TB
Storage options512GB, 1TB, 2TB, 4TB or 8TB81TB, 2TB, 4TB or 8TB
Media engineHardware-accelerated H.264, HEVC, ProRes and ProRes RAWvideo decode enginetwo video encode enginestwo ProRes encode and decode enginesHardware-accelerated H.264, HEVC, ProRes, and ProRes RAWtwo video decode enginesfour video encode enginesfour ProRes encode and decode engines

Battery and power

Battery and power: Apple Mac Studio (M2 Max, 2023) against Apple Mac Studio (M1 Ultra, 2022)
SpecificationMac Studio M2 Max1Mac Studio M1 Ultra2
Maximum continuous power370 W370 W

Connectivity

Connectivity: Apple Mac Studio (M2 Max, 2023) against Apple Mac Studio (M1 Ultra, 2022)
SpecificationMac Studio M2 Max1Mac Studio M1 Ultra2
Wi-FiWi-Fi 6E (802.11ax)802.11ax Wi‑Fi 6
Bluetooth5.35.0
Ethernet10Gb Ethernet (Nbase-T Ethernet with support for 1Gb, 2.5Gb, 5Gb and 10Gb Ethernet using RJ-45 connector)10Gb Ethernet (Nbase-T Ethernet with support for 1Gb, 2.5Gb, 5Gb and 10Gb Ethernet using RJ‑45 connector)
External displays (base)55

Camera and audio

Camera and audio: Apple Mac Studio (M2 Max, 2023) against Apple Mac Studio (M1 Ultra, 2022)
SpecificationMac Studio M2 Max1Mac Studio M1 Ultra2
SpeakersBuilt-in speaker9Built-in speaker10

Platform

Platform: Apple Mac Studio (M2 Max, 2023) against Apple Mac Studio (M1 Ultra, 2022)
SpecificationMac Studio M2 Max1Mac Studio M1 Ultra2
Shipped withmacOS Ventura11Not available12
Newest macOSmacOS 27 Golden Gate13macOS 27 Golden Gate14
Model identifierMac14,1315Mac13,216
Model year20232022

Sources

  1. Apple Support (UK) — Mac Studio (2023) - Tech Specs · Default for Mac Studio M2 Max · Apple’s figure · read 15 Sep 2026

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  2. Apple Support (UK) — Mac Studio (2022) - Tech Specs · Default for Mac Studio M1 Ultra · Apple’s figure · read 30 Sep 2026

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  3. Apple Newsroom (UK) — Apple unveils new Mac Studio and brings Apple silicon to Mac Pro · Apple’s figure · read 15 Sep 2026

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  4. Apple UK Store (archived 8 March 2022) — Mac Studio, M1 Ultra with 20-core CPU and 48-core GPU, 64GB, 1TB, £3,999.00 · third-party figure · read 11 Oct 2026

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  5. Apple Newsroom (UK) — Apple unveils all-new Mac Studio and Studio Display · Apple’s figure · read 30 Sep 2026

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  6. Security updates: no end date published. Checked: endoflife.date. Read 22 Sep 2026

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  7. Security updates: no end date published. Checked: endoflife.date. Read 30 Sep 2026

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  8. Apple Support (UK) — Mac Studio (2023) - Tech Specs · Apple’s figure · read 2 Oct 2026

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  9. Apple Support (UK) — Mac Studio (2023) - Tech Specs · Apple’s figure · read 9 Oct 2026

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  10. Apple Support (UK) — Mac Studio (2022) - Tech Specs · Apple’s figure · read 9 Oct 2026

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  11. Apple Newsroom (UK) — Apple unveils new Mac Studio and brings Apple silicon to Mac Pro · Apple’s figure · read 9 Oct 2026

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  12. Not published by Apple. Pages checked: Apple Support (UK) — Mac Studio (2022) - Tech Specs; Apple Newsroom (UK) — Apple unveils all-new Mac Studio and Studio Display; Apple Support (UK) — Identify your Mac Studio model. Read 9 Oct 2026

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  13. Apple Support (UK) — macOS 27 Golden Gate is compatible with these computers · Apple’s figure · read 22 Sep 2026

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  14. Apple Support (UK) — macOS 27 Golden Gate is compatible with these computers · Apple’s figure · read 30 Sep 2026

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  15. Apple Support (UK) — Identify your Mac Studio model · Apple’s figure · read 15 Sep 2026

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  16. Apple Support (UK) — Identify your Mac Studio model · Apple’s figure · read 30 Sep 2026

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Not published by Apple

Mac Studio M2 Max. Apple doesn’t publish for this Mac: memory upgradeable by user, storage upgradeable by user, microphones. Geekbench 7: the Mac chart lists the Mac Studio M2 Max only with a 38-core GPU, not the 30-core GPU this Mac has, so no figures are shown (chart read 10 Oct 2026). Pages checked: Apple Support (UK) — Mac Studio (2023) - Tech Specs; Apple Newsroom (UK) — Apple unveils new Mac Studio and brings Apple silicon to Mac Pro; Apple Support (UK) — Identify your Mac Studio model, read 9 Oct 2026.

Mac Studio M1 Ultra. Apple doesn’t publish for this Mac: memory upgradeable by user, storage upgradeable by user, microphones. Geekbench 7 Metal: the Mac chart row for this Mac does not state its GPU core count, so no Metal score is shown (chart read 10 Oct 2026). Pages checked: Apple Support (UK) — Mac Studio (2022) - Tech Specs; Apple Newsroom (UK) — Apple unveils all-new Mac Studio and Studio Display; Apple Support (UK) — Identify your Mac Studio model, read 9 Oct 2026.

If you own one of them

Whether to move is a different question from which is better. Each Mac has a page on it: what its successor changes (the newest Mac in its line where Apple sells one, otherwise the Mac this site treats as its replacement, which can be in another line), what it fetches and whether it still gets updates. Should I upgrade my Mac Studio M2 Max (2023)? · Should I upgrade my Mac Studio M1 Ultra (2022)?

The pairs a buyer of either Mac would also weigh. Any two Macs in the catalogue can be compared from the chooser.